Door construction



July 21, 1959 c. P. DUMBOLTON 2,895,183

DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 21, 1954 V' ///Ai 5% I y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2ITTO ENE/1S United States Patnt This invention relates to a doorconstruction and more particularly to an assembly for sliding doors orpanels.

While the particular form of the invention shown and I described relatesto a -sliding door, it is obvious that the invention can be applied toroom dividers or partitions, sliding screens, inside or outside glassdoors or windows, wardrobe doors, show window panels, cabinets and thelike.

It is accordingly one object of this invention to provide an assembly ofthe type described employing one or more sliding panels suspended byrollers running in a track above the top of the doors or panels.

Itis another. object, of this invention to provide an assemblyof thetype described in which a sliding panel is guided and held in parallelposition by a continuous angle-type guide. Such guide projects out fromone panel so that the upturned leg of the angle guide slides in acontinuous slot in the bottom rail of each sliding panel. Such upturnedleg is continuous and provides continuous and parallel guidance betweenpanels, preventing adjoining panels from either separating or hitting.

It is a feature of this invention that where one fixed panel isemployed, it is held in place by afiixing the guide member for the nextmovable panel to the bottom of the fixed panel and to the front adjacentthe edge of the fixed panel and that each successive sliding panel hasafiixed thereto the guide member for the ensuing panel.

It is a further feature of this invention that a springtype interlockeris attached to the bottom of each of the inside faces of the overlappingpanels to provide a catch. Such catch functions to stop the slidingpanel adjacent the fixed panel in the proper location. The otherinterlockers on the next adjacent sliding panel or panels serve ascatches which pull each adjoining panel with them as they are closed.Such spring interlockers permit panel removal by compressing theinterlocker-s with a tool to permit slipping the interlockers past eachother.

It is a further feature of this invention that a durable stop isattached to the lower edge and underside of the first sliding paneladjoining the jamb. The stop engages with the end of the guide of theadjoining panel and carries the adjoining panel back with it as thedoors or panels are opened.

It is a further feature of this invention that vertical alignment of thestiles is provided when in open position.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent from the annexed specification in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

Figure 2 is a schematic top plan view on a reduced scale about the line2-2 of Figure 1, showing the doors closed.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the doors open.

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Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 ofFigure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged broken section taken on the line 5-5 of Figurel.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary bottom end elevation of a modified form ofanchoring the fixed panel.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower corner of thepanel nearest the jamb.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the interlock members.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevation of the lower corner of the last twodoors, one dOOr and rail being shownin phantom and illustrating theengaging of the stop member on the last door for returning the doors toOpen position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the invention-isillustrated in connection with three doors or panels indicatedrespectively as'10, 11 and 12. As shown, the panel 10 is fixed and thepanels 11 and 12 are sliding, being supported on rollers 13 mounted in abracket 14 secured to the upper end of the doors 11 or 12, which rollersride upon an inverted T-shaped track 15 as clearly shown in Figure 5.The fixed panel 10 has afixed thereto as by screws 16 an L-shaped guide17 which is also secured to the floor as by screws 18. The bracket 17includes an upwardly extending flange 19. The next adjacent panel 11 hassecured thereto an L-shaped guide 20 having an upstanding flange 21- andbeing secured to the panel 11 by screws 22 engaging the bottom of thepanel 11 adjacent the front thereof as most clearly shown in Figure 5.The upstanding flange '19 of guide 17 rides ina longitudinally extendinggroove 23 in the panel 11, 'while the upstanding flange 21 of the guide20 rides in a longitudinally extending groove 24 in the panel 12. Thegroove 24 is closed at the end adjacent the jamb by a stop 25 shown hereas a metallic bracket 26 secured to the bottom and free end of the panel12 as by screws 27. Alternatively, the flange 21 may be extended andbent over as at 21a to form a stop adapted to engage the inner edge ofthe adjacent panel to perform the same function. Adjacent the bottom ofeach of the panels 11 and 12 is a spring interlocking member 28 and 29,and adjacent the bottom on the front face of each of the panels 10 and11 is a similar spring member 30 or 31. Each of the interlocking members28, 29, 30 or 31 is identical in shape and is constructed as shown indetail in Figure 8, the members 28 and 30 being assembled with theirleaf spring extending inwardly and the members 29 and 31 being assembledwith the leaf spring extending outwardly as shown in Figure 4.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 6, there is shown analternative construction for the guide member aifixed to the fixedpanel. In this embodiment, the guide member 17a is affixed to the bottomof the fixed panel as by screws 16 as in the previous embodiment but thescrew 18a is provided with a rubber suction tip 40 which grips the rugor floor covering without the necessity of penetrating the floor itself.

Each of the panels 10, 11 or 12 has been illustrated as comprising aframe section and a plastic or glass section 50. It will be appreciatedthat this construction is optional and that the panels may be made ofany material.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that assuming thedoor to be in the condition shown in Figure 1 in which the door isclosed, if it is desired to open, the door panel 12 is moved to the left(Figure 1) riding upon the rollers 13 on the track 15 and as this isdone the lower edge of the door 12 is maintained in proper verticalalignment by the engagement of the fiange 2l in the groove 24. As thedoor 12 continues to move toward the left, the end of the flange 21engages the end of the stop 25. This situation is depicted in Figure 9.Further movement of the door 12 to the left gagement of the interlockingmember 29 with the interlocking member 28 first causes the door 12 topick up the door 11 and movement of the two do ors to the rightcontinues until the interlocking merrrber 31 engages the I interlockingmember 30 at which point the doors are in theirfully 'closedposition;held in place by the guides 17 and 20 and the interlocking members 28,29, 30 and While there thas been described what is at present considereda preferred embodiment of the present invention,

it will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that various changesand modifications can be made therein without departing from the essenceof the invention and it is intended to cover herein all such changes andmodifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim: 7 p 1. A door construction comprising a fixed panel and aplurality of sliding panels in ofiset parallel vertical planes, eachsliding panel being suspended from an overhead track and slidablethereon and having a longitudinal guide groove extending the length ofits bottom edge, and separate guide means mounted on the fixed paneladjacent its bottom and mounted on each but the outermost of the slidingpanels adjacent their respective bottoms, each guide means having anupturned flange slida'bly engaged in the guide groove of the nextoutermost panel wherebyeach slidingpan el ismintaind 'in's'tablevertical alignment with adjacent panels during sliding movement, onepanel of each adjoining pair of panels having a first stop means, theother panel of each adjoining pair of panels having a second stop means,said first and second stop means positioned to be in engagingrelationship when the'adjoining pair of panels are substantially alignedand acting to'produce com'bined move ment as the outermost panel of thepair of panels is moved towmd the fixed panel.

2. Door construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first stopmeans comprises a bracket aflixed to each sliding panel to'close the endof the guide groove remote from the fixed panel.

3. Door construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first stopmeans comprises a cross-flange joined to the end of the upturnedfiangeof eachguide means at the end nearest the fixed panel so as to betransverse to the upturned flange. V

4. Door construction in accordance with claim 1' wherein interlockingmeans are joined to each sliding panel to be engageable to lock eachadjoining pair of panels as the outermost of the 'two panels moves awayfrom the fixed panel and to be releasable as the outermost of the twopanels moves toward the-fixed panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED sTATEs'PATENTs

